Crack the Positional Code

A four-letter word can hide behind four different moves. Spot which move belongs to each position... and the code unlocks!

Picture four numbered slots. Slot one moves each letter one step forwards in the alphabet. Slot two moves two steps. Slot three moves three steps. Slot four moves four steps. The move depends on the POSITION, not on which letter happens to be there. Watch C O D E change. C in slot one moves one step to D. O in slot two moves two steps to Q. D in slot three moves three steps to G. E in slot four moves four steps to I. So C O D E becomes D Q G I. Near the alphabet's end, keep counting. Never stop at Z. Wrap back to A, then continue. So Z moved four steps becomes D: A is one, B is two, C is three, and D is four.

Let's work through an example. In a code, C O L D is written as D Q O H. Using the same code, how is Q U I Z written? We need to infer four moves, then apply them in their matching slots. Compare the given pair from left to right. C to D is forwards one. O to Q is forwards two. L to O is forwards three. D to H is forwards four. That confirms the positional rule: plus one, plus two, plus three, plus four. Now code Q U I Z. In slot one, Q moves one step to R. In slot two, U moves two steps to W. In slot three, I moves three steps to L. In slot four, Z moves four steps. Count past Z and wrap: A, B, C, D. The coded word is R W L D. Answer: R W L D.

Read the slots in order, discover each slot's move, apply that same pattern to the new word, and if counting reaches Z, wrap to A and keep going. You can now crack a positional letter-word code with confidence every time!